Guest 1881- Registered: 16 Oct 2016
- Posts: 1,071
Captain Haddock wrote:Fairness? Let's take people's hard earned money off them and give it to a load of others who are already living a life style which is already the envy of most people on this planet.
Finally, you get it. You've just described the whole issue with austerity. Shaft the low paid, over-burden them with tax, force them to by-pass workers' rights with faux self-employment/zero-hours-contracts whilst allowing Philip Green to sip champagne on his third yacht celebrating the demise of 11,000 BHS jobs. "Living the lifestyle which is already the envy of most people on this planet" - indeed.
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean that politics won't take an interest in you. PERICLES.
Guest 2060- Registered: 19 Apr 2017
- Posts: 76
Howard.After 1997 we became Social Democrats especially after the ending of clause 4.
I must tell you one day, about my chance meeting with Mr Blair in 1996.(Namedropper)
Guest 2060- Registered: 19 Apr 2017
- Posts: 76
Comrade Bishop having a pop at the very poor excuse of capitalism Phil Green.
I wonder why the Bishop singled out Green and not the ex social housing portfolio holder Lady Nugee (Emily Thornberry )?
Is it because the appalling Green is supportive of Israel and Corbynistas are supportive of Hamas and Palestine?
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Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,705
Whilst I have some sympathy with the view that those who avoid work should not overly benefit from that choice and that evidentially there has been abuse of the welfare system by a hard core of cheats and spongers; austerity has and continues to disadvantage those who are in work but who are poorly paid.
It is especially repugnant when people work for major corporations yet have to rely on tax credits to earn a decent living. The tax credit system makes no sense to me for example in 2014 Tesco staff received approx £2.5m in tax credits yet at the same time Tesco made a profit of £970m; another example is Walgreen Boots Alliance, the only global retail chemists, who pay their shop staff minimum wage (thus meaning many need to claim tax credits) yet in in their 2016 accounts declared a net profit of $4.17bn. Why are we the tax payer subsidising major corporations?
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"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 1881- Registered: 16 Oct 2016
- Posts: 1,071
Peter James wrote:Comrade Bishop having a pop at the very poor excuse of capitalism Phil Green.
I wonder why the Bishop singled out Green and not the ex social housing portfolio holder Lady Nugee (Emily Thornberry )?
Is it because the appalling Green is supportive of Israel and Corbynistas are supportive of Hamas and Palestine?
That's quite a leap! I attacked the ills of capitalism/neo-liberalism and the Middle East gets thrown into the issue. Seriously?!
On the Emily Thornberry front, do tell me more about her housing portfolio.
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean that politics won't take an interest in you. PERICLES.
Guest 2060- Registered: 19 Apr 2017
- Posts: 76
Bish.Lady Nugee owns numerous properties in her constituency, all former housing association properties. I suggest you research it.
Captain Haddock
- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,072
Suport for Hamas eh?
For the many, not the Jew?
"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Captain Haddock- Location: Marlinspike Hall
- Registered: 8 Oct 2012
- Posts: 8,072
Suport for Hamas eh?
For the many, not the Jew?
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"We are living in very strange times, and they are likely to get a lot stranger before we bottom out"
Dr. Hunter S Thompson
Weird Granny Slater
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,065
Peter James wrote:Keith S is correct about fairness. As long it is about fairness not envying people who work hard and get rewarded for working hard.
I am sure Comrades Bishop and Granny Slater will not agree because they are too wrapped up their neoliberalism crap and comparing 2017 Britain to the workhouse, kids up the chimneys victoriana. The fact is if you don't work, won't work because you are a drug user or an alcoholic you get paid by the state with housing benefit and other benefits in 2017.In Victorian times you starve and were homeless without a outreach officer from Porchlight helping to fill in the appropriate forms.
I will say that I have concerns about Our NHS ,lack of affordable housing and overcrowding in our schools but my concerns are real and not a political vehicle or bandwagon to jump on.I have been concerned since the 1960s about the NHS being used as political football by all the parties.The Tories under Major brought in Private Finance Initiatives and Labour under Blair/Brown from 1997 to 2010 installed 221 NHS PFIs.
Now I await for the resident Corbynistas to call me an apologist for Austerity or even worse a Tory Fascist.
PJ, I’m afraid I need to disabuse you: I’m not a ‘Corbynista’ (though I’m not even sure what that means: does it include anyone who voted for the Labour Party at the recent election?). So you can remove me from that 'political bandwagon'. But, if that’s intended as an insult, and it makes you feel better, then I’ll take it. (And, by the way, I’m happy to take any others from anyone who feels he or she may derive some therapeutic value or cathartic release from the expressing of it, or if he or she believes it advances political discourse).
As for ‘neoliberal crap’, well, yes it is isn’t it? Crap, that is. I mean, the neoliberal direction of government policy since 1979 (i.e. privatisation, deregulation, austerity, public spending squeezes…) with its accompanying social and economic injustices, and it should be booted back into the 19th century whence it came. What's more, my objections do not arise from 'envy': they are ideological, not personal. Fairness is impossible within it.
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'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
"Having listened to the views of parents" translates as it would have been a vote loser.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40496770Guest 2060- Registered: 19 Apr 2017
- Posts: 76
Very impressed that WGS can remember the 19th century and use the neoliberalism word.
Weird Granny Slater- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,065
Peter James wrote:Very impressed that WGS can remember the 19th century and use the neoliberalism word.
Well PJ, I'm an adherent of this new discovery in time-travel, an indulgence called, I believe, 'reading history'. You know, I think it might just catch on. Try it and spread the word.
'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
Guest 2060- Registered: 19 Apr 2017
- Posts: 76
WGS have lived history .Get your head out of Das Kapital and open your eyes.
Weird Granny Slater- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,065
Peter James wrote:WGS have lived history .Get your head out of Das Kapital and open your eyes.
Wrong again: I'm not a marxist either.
'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Peter James wrote:WGS have lived history .Get your head out of Das Kapital and open your eyes.
I always had you down as a "red under the bed" Rippers, I remember you being very upset when Mr Blair revoked clause 4.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Clearly someone has forgotten to water the money tree, the PM has just announced that the public sector pay cap will remain despite what her fellow cabinet colleagues say and that is her final decision - at least until this evening.
Guest 1881- Registered: 16 Oct 2016
- Posts: 1,071
howard mcsweeney1 wrote:Clearly someone has forgotten to water the money tree, the PM has just announced that the public sector pay cap will remain despite what her fellow cabinet colleagues say and that is her final decision - at least until this evening.
Compassionate Conservatism in action.
Just because you don't take an interest in politics doesn't mean that politics won't take an interest in you. PERICLES.
Weird Granny Slater- Location: Dover
- Registered: 7 Jun 2017
- Posts: 3,065
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40653456
Funny that, I always thought that the notion of 'sacrifice' had an element of the voluntary about it (even if it's only in the 'Oi, you 'orrible little man, I volunteer you to buff my buttons' sense: refusal is always a possibility).
So I suppose that the empathetic one must be using it in the sense of an act of propitiation, in this case an appeasement of the harsh god, Capital.
A bit pagan for a vicar's daughter. But then, perhaps on one of her walks in the hills she's seen the ghosts of Romans or Celts offering up the odd ritual killing.
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'Pass the cow dung, my dropsy's killing me' - Heraclitus
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,705
Perhaps the government should publish civil service, local government, NHS and emergency service salary scales; including median salaries, average salaries and the number of employees in each band and perhaps publish the names of all those who receive more than £150k a year, along with similar figures for previous years so we the public can be armed with the facts and assess whether there is merit in either sides argument.
Or perhaps they will do what they normally do and treat us with disdain and contempt and tell us to mind our own business
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"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
providing figures are correct in the first place.